David Ward was an endorsed LibDem candidate at the last General Election (despite devoting much of his time as an MP to rants about 'The Jews' - his preferred term) but I don't recall that being part of a media narrative about 'LibDem antisemitism'.

Mind you racism always looks worse when its on the Left (You Should Know Better) and so complaining about it getting attention is not a good look, but nevertheless...

It's also the case, btw, that some of the (overwhelmingly Pakistani Muslim) councillors whose social media accounts have been shown to contain interesting remarks over the past few months have previously been members of other parties.

And it is *also* the case that the media management has been beyond terrible: the disciplinary process has actually kicked in extremely quickly (even against Livingstone who is a member of the National Executive) exactly as you would hope it would, but the impression of inaction lingers. I.e. Milne needs to be fired.

Labour proceeds at its own peril. Kicking out Ken Livingstone didn't work the last time. Outside of the media echo chamber, his comments are perfectly inoffensive (albeit probably wrong).

If Corbyn fails or retires, Livingstone is now perfectly positioned to engage in a hostile takeover of an increasingly Muslim Labour.

What? Ken has as much chance as Dianne Abbott (see 2015 mayoral primary)

If you want to win a Labour leadership race you need to win London, which is largely made up of white public sector workers (in my own experience of the party)

I am aware of that but correct me if I'm wrong, but I would think being the last successful left-wing mayor of London would be a boost among that crowd - unless Livingstone left office despised by the public sector workers too

I don't think Naz Shah's comments were anti-Semitic. They were stupid, but not anti-Semitic.

I think rather than having her issue an insincere apology, I would like to hear her actually defend her position.

Why does she think it's alright to force millions of Israelis to leave the land they were born in? What does she think about right-wing Israelis like Moshe Feiglin who want to pay Arabs to leave Israel and the territories? Obviously she doesn't agree with them, but does she recognize that as a valid non-racist viewpoint, since it's so close to her own?

I think asking these questions publicly would lead to a more sincerely apology. As it stands, people who hold her stupid views can just go on believing them, believing they were silenced by phony outrage, rather than having to actually confront how dumb they are.

I don't think Naz Shah's comments were anti-Semitic. They were stupid, but not anti-Semitic.

I think rather than having her issue an insincere apology, I would like to hear her actually defend her position.

Why does she think it's alright to force millions of Israelis to leave the land they were born in? What does she think about right-wing Israelis like Moshe Feiglin who want to pay Arabs to leave Israel and the territories? Obviously she doesn't agree with them, but does she recognize that as a valid non-racist viewpoint, since it's so close to her own?

I think asking these questions publicly would lead to a more sincerely apology. As it stands, people who hold her stupid views can just go on believing them, believing they were silenced by phony outrage, rather than having to actually confront how dumb they are.

Concerning Hitler and the Zionists there is a very intriguing book on the subject, Zionism in the age of the Dictators which goes into the various ties and negotiations between the Zionists and the Nazi regime. Also Francis Nicosia's Zionism and anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany is very enlightening. Through the 1930's the Hitler regime was hoping to expel the German Jews, and British run Palestine was one option. The Nazis did fear that once the Jewish population there was strong enough to have its own state and a League of Nations membership it would be a pain in the neck, and that a Jewish run state would be a source of untold mischief. However, in spite of those concerns, the Hitler regime cooperated with Zionists agencies to the extent that about 40,000 German and Austrian Jews did reach Palestine.